I see the same with smarthome tech which is often sold as a "green" energy saver. The truth is that it is very often added comfort, convenience, and/or security.
https://techxplore.com/news/2021-10-rooftop-solar-electricity-policymakers.html
Quote
Another explanation, Matisoff said, could be that when consumers switch to solar power, they sometimes also switch to electric-powered vehicles, water heaters, and other appliances to take advantage of their new, cleaner energy source.
That's our situation. Our electricity usage is way up, but a gas dryer and similar changes will do that.
Of course, so will a sauna.
>situation
That's a decision coming down the road for me. When I built my house, the local power company was 100% coal fired and hostile to residential rooftop solar so I went with gas. Now they are investing in wind and solar power and phasing out coal. So when it's time for a new hot water heater and furnace I'm going to have to think about going electric.
>water heater
Do not fall for the new 'smart' water heater tech. Buy the plain ol' 40 gal model with top & bottom elements (some contractors are installing cheaper single element units) and put a cheap timer on it. I have dual 40s but only run the 2nd one when we have lots of guests. The primary wh is set a little high at 135f but only runs about 3 hrs per day. Almost all laundry is done in cold water now -except bed linens- and most dishwashers will heat the water if it is too cool.
We have an on-demand water heater. We would have to switch to a tank heater to go electric there. Unless you plan your service panel with on-demand in mind, most homes don't have enough juice
Debbie wouldn't do on-demand electric even if you had the capacity (I do), ROI feels terrible vs plain 40 & timer.
When we built the house, we also had a tiny studio in employee housing and we would stay there a lot. So on-demand had a great ROI.
Now that would be less true. At a certain point a super-insulated tank, especially if fed through a solar heater, would do better.
The timer only works if usage is predictable.
>predictable
Here, cheap smarthome tech overcomes that. Even before hubitat, I had wired the primary heater with override switches --one in the utility closet and another in the master bath. Wife still overrides hubitat when she showers even though she does not need to do so --reduces cold shock anxiety, hhh. I could get into presence detection and super-fine-tune hubitat but it is just not needed.
>increases electricity use
In fact, I'm headed in the wrong direction. I'm going to put in a pump to cycle hot water throughout the kitchen & master bath -and maybe the rest of the bathrooms- every 15 minutes or so. Might as well, she runs water until it is warm anyway.
I tease her by telling her I do not need presence detection to see if she is home. All I have to do is walk to the nearest faucet and open the hot tap --if it is cool, she isn't home.